Relic of St. John Paul II open for veneration

A vial of blood of St. John Paul II, an “important gift” to the Filipino people—GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Don’t just take a selfie with the relic of St. John Paul II this weekend at Manila Cathedral. Pray and give proper respect to the blood relic of a man who considered Filipinos close to his heart, Fr. Reginald Malicdem urged the faithful in a press briefing on Thursday.

“It’s not a mere museum piece. This is the presence of a very holy man,” Malicdem said, referring to the vial of the Pontiff’s liquefied blood that will be readied for public veneration on Saturday and Sunday.

The vial of blood was donated to the Archdiocese of Manila in December last year by Cardinal Stanislaus Dziwisz, the archbishop emeritus of Krakow and St. John Paul II’s former secretary.

Seven vials of blood

It is one of seven vials of Pope John Paul II’s blood, which was extracted by doctors toward the end of his life in case of an emergency transfusion, given the complications of Parkinson’s disease.

Another vial of the blood is enshrined at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Cheras, Malaysia.

In the press briefing, Malicdem explained that relics of saints and other holy individuals had always received veneration and attention in the Catholic Church.

“This…is truly a source of consolation and help, especially for those who are suffering physical illnesses,” he said.

Malicdem said the Pontiff’s blood remained in its liquified state because of the presence of an anticoagulant when it was first extracted from the saint when he was still alive.

The vial is encased in a brass reliquary and protected by a glass casing.

It will be brought out during the 9 a.m. Mass on Saturday to be celebrated by Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle, and made available for public veneration until Sunday.

Three Pontiffs

After Saturday’s Mass, 2,000 prayer cards containing a third-class relic—a cloth wiped on the vial containing the blood of the beloved saint—will be distributed among the faithful.

Tagle last year requested the Vatican for relics of three important Pontiffs who were recently beatified or canonized, and had a close association with Manila Cathedral.

These are St. John XXIII, who was the leader of the Catholic Church during the rebuilding of the cathedral in 1958; Blessed Pope Paul VI, who celebrated Mass at the cathedral in 1970; and St. John Paul II, who raised the cathedral to a minor basilica during his 1981 visit.

St. John Paul’s blood relic joins other relics housed at Manila Cathedral.

Proper decorum

Malicdem said Tagle’s invitation was for the faithful, particularly the youth, “to come together as a people and gather around the table of the Lord Jesus, in the presence of the beloved Pope John Paul II.”

He said that while church officials would not forbid people from taking photographs of or selfies with the vial of blood, they should “give the holy relic proper respect and observe proper decorum.”

“Let us pray and ask the saint to bring us closer to the Lord,” Malicdem said.

After this weekend’s public veneration, the relic will be opened for veneration only on special occasions like the saint’s feast day on Oct. 22.

Important gift

Malicdem said the blood relic was considered a very important gift to Manila Cathedral, which will celebrate this year the 60th anniversary of its rebuilding after World War II.

“With this very important gift, we hope that the faithful will be reminded of St. John Paul II’s call for us Filipinos to be evangelizers, to uphold the dignity of human life, and to care for the weak and the poor,” he added.

Pope John Paul II was born Karol Józef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland, and was the Pope from 1978 until his passing in 2005.

Well-loved all over the world and especially by Filipinos who welcomed him during his visits in 1981 and 1995, the Pope was canonized and declared a saint in 2014.